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50/50

A diagnosis of cancer, usually the subject of serious, high-end tear-jerkers, provides an unlikely launching pad for comedy in this beautifully played, precisely observed and surprisingly thoughtful buddy movie, which is based on a true story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a struggling 20-something radio journalist whose life is rocked by the discovery of a malignant tumour. Adam soon finds, however, that being seriously ill has strange side effects: his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) becomes strangely distant, his already over-attentive mother (Anjelica Huston) tries to smother him even more and his blustering, insensitive best friend (Seth Rogen) simply pretends that none of this is happening. From these elements emerges a touching, plausible and, above all, very funny story of human vulnerability, with the wonderful double act of Gordon-Levitt and Rogen at its core. Gordon-Levitt deserves special credit for a likeable and fearless performance that never once slips into self-importance - or, more crucially, self-pity.

Plot Summary

A man is diagnosed with spinal cancer and given a 50 per cent chance of survival. His girlfriend proves unable to deal with his illness, but he finds an unlikely source of support through his treatment in his best friend, who has never been able to take anything seriously in the past, and his mother, whom he has always pushed away. Comedy drama, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anjelica Huston.